Why Humans Avoid War

Kilon POV

No mission ever went according to plan when humans were involved.

Not that the plan was particularly sane to begin with, given that Pavel's distraction involved shooting rockets into the sky. I wasn't sure how lighting explosives was good idea, unless the goal was for the humans to blow up the embassy themselves. But Commander Rykov ordered his men to set up the launch, seemingly oblivious to how bizarre his brother's suggestion was.

"How exactly is shooting bombs into the air going to help?" I asked, unable to contain my doubts any longer.

The Commander chuckled. "Not bombs. Fireworks."

I gave him a blank stare, unable to understand what he found amusing. "So these rockets have a name. I don't see how that detracts from my point."

"They're recreational explosives. Harmless. Mostly."

"Recreational explosives?" I echoed. "What does that even mean?"

"People shoot them off on holidays to celebrate. They're loud, explode in a bright flash of color, but that's about it. Come to Earth on Unification Day, you'll see plenty of them."

"That is supposed to be fun?"

"Yes."

"I...our species clearly have very different ideas of fun."

"Well, fun or not, it should draw the terrorists out to investigate. I take it they'll be as confused as you are."

A trail of orange embers arched through the night sky, resembling a cluster of shooting stars. A few cheers came from the Terran soldiers, most of whom were admiring the light show overhead. I winced at the volume of the burst; I wasn't fully convinced that the fire wasn't going to rain down on our position. The Xanik patrolmen seemed outright frightened, with many ducking for cover.

Commander Rykov smirked, clearly trying not to laugh at a terrified Ambassador Cazil. "Relax, it's perfectly safe."

Cazil rubbed his beak nervously. "Well, I'm happy you guys decided to join the bombing run, but I wish you waited until we weren't out in the open."

"Bombing run?" Rykov and I asked in unison.

"You haven't heard? Pretty soon, this rock will be the joint property of the Terran Union and the Xanik Republic." Cazil glanced in my direction, observing the shocked look on my face. "Don't worry General, I'm sure the Jatari will be wise enough to jump ship."

It seemed the Ambassador's implication was that the Terrans and the Xanik were teaming up to invade the capital. As wrong as it felt to abandon the Federation I was sworn to protect, siding against Earth in a war was tantamount to suicide. The Jatari more than likely would opt for self-preservation, as would I, which is why it didn't make sense for the Commander to lie about his intentions.

I frowned at my human friend. "So you are attacking the Federation? Your plan was to take over the capital all along."

"Absolutely not," the Commander growled. "There's zero chance Earth signed on to this."

"Not yet, but we expect the full support of the Terran Union. Who needs to listen to those weak-minded Federation fools any longer?" Ambassador Cazil flinched as another firework detonated above, but did not falter. "Their wealth, their power, it is ours to claim. Surely you see the wisdom.

The human raised his rifle, eyes narrowing to slits. "Wisdom? I only see greed. Whatever you're planning, call it off."

The nearby Xanik soldiers pointed their weapons at the Commander in response, and the Terran troops readied their guns as well. I hesitated to join the stand-off, but I figured I would get caught in the crossfire anyways. Despite the fact that the humans were outnumbered ten-to-one, I aimed my rifle at Cazil. I hadn't liked him from the moment we met, and I wasn't going to miss the chance to take him out.

"It's too late. We've broadcast our demands to the Federation, and if we don't follow through, it will bring shame to our people," the Ambassador said.

"If you do follow through, you will live just long enough to see your soldiers die by our hands." A new voice came from behind me; it was Pavel, who seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. "We will overthrow your leaders, crash your economy, and fund insurgents. Then we'll claim we had nothing to do with it, and your pleas to the Federation will fall on deaf ears. You'll never have a lick of proof that we were involved in any way."

"Fierce words, from a diplomat of all people. Weren't you supposed to be in the embassy, freeing the hostages?"

Pavel inched closer to the Ambassador. "New orders came in."

At first glance, Rykov's brother appeared unarmed, but something about his posture struck me as odd. Upon closer inspection, I noticed he was holding one arm behind his back, concealing an object from Cazil's view.

The Commander glanced at his wristwatch, hearing the chime of a notification. "I just got new orders as well. This is primarily a civilian populace, and Terran government will not tolerate you bombing them into submission. Either you stand down, or I am to take you in as a prisoner of war."

"We did this for you! For humanity! We were the first to stand at your side, and this is our reward?" Cazil chittered. "The Federation betrayed you! They are not worthy of your allegiance."

"Last chance. Surrender," Rykov hissed.

"Can't do that."

"Very well. Soldiers, on my command, take out all hostile forces. I want the Ambassador taken alive..." Commander Rykov paused, spotting his brother slinking toward the Xanik line. "Pavel, what are you doing?"

"Sorry, Mikhail. We have different orders."

In one fluid movement, Pavel pounced onto the Ambassador, drawing a dagger faster than my eye could track him. He sliced through the vital arteries in Cazil's neck with a clean cut, leaving the politician spluttering blood. Plasma fire erupted around me, and I pulled my rifle's trigger on instinct. I could hear Commander calling for air support, presumably from the flagship, and the Terran troops relaying orders.

A human hand pulled me to the ground, and I gasped as a plasma beam whizzed by right where my head had been. I glanced back to see Mac, who was picking off Xanik soldiers with calm precision. The realization that he had likely saved my life was not lost on me, and I gave him a small nod of acknowledgement. Drawing a deep breath, I tried to collect my bearings. Acquire a target, eliminate the target, rinse and repeat. Simple.

I spotted a Xanik soldier crouched behind a police barricade, propping up a rocket-propelled grenade. Time slowed to a crawl as I peered through my scope, lining her up with my crosshairs. Steadying my hand, I pressed the trigger. The round scorched through the flesh of her forehead, and she crumbled to the ground in a heap.

An explosion detonated a few paces away from my position, taking out two humans. Clearly, the combatant I had eliminated wasn't the only one with an RPG. Perhaps it would be wisest to move out of the open road, before I was shelled to death.

I noticed a small group of Terran soldiers off to my left, sheltering behind a market stall. Joining them would probably be the safest bet; we could hunker down there until the air support arrived. Rising to my feet, I darted in their direction.

I had only made it a few steps when a sharp pain tore through my side, and I cascaded to the ground. Glancing down, I saw a small hole etched into my stomach; the flesh was still sizzling around the edges. Blood spurted from the wound, staining my uniform a sickly shade of green. I tried to move, but my body refused to obey.

"General!" Commander Rykov scrambled out of an alleyway, and was at my side in a flash. He wrapped his arms underneath my shoulders, dragging me to safety. "It's going to be okay. I'm here."

The concern in his eyes told a different story.

"Your plans...are all...stupid," I coughed, smiling weakly.

The human laughed, wiping away a tear. "Yes, yes, they are."

I stared up at the stars shining in the night sky, admiring their static beauty. The chaos of the battlefield was growing fainter, as though my ears no longer registered the sound. It was calm, quiet, still. Perhaps death was not the fiend I feared it to be. I felt at peace for the first time in long time, ready to drift off into the night.

Darkness crept in at the corners of my vision, and then the world faded away.